Wallace poised to face Fitzpatrick in November

James O'Malley @omalley_news

Wednesday

May 16, 2018 at 12:19 AMMay 16, 2018 at 12:19 AM

With nearly two-thirds of Bucks County voting districts reporting late Tuesday, Scott Wallace seemed to be the clear winner in the Democratic contest to face off with Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the fall in the 1st Congressional District.

At about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wallace had a decisive 20-plus point lead in the Democratic primary contest, split largely between the wealthy philanthropist from Buckingham and Rachel Reddick, a Navy veteran and unabashed former Republican.

In his speech declaring victory at his campaign watch party in Bensalem, Wallace thanked his opponents Reddick and Steve Bacher for their respective contributions in military service and environmental work.

"And I look forward to working with both of them to follow through on Brian Fitzpatrick's newfound passion for term limits," he said, referencing legislation the congressman recently introduced.

A Bucks County native and descendant of prominent political heritage, Wallace wore his pedigree and his pocketbook on his sleeve when he entered the race in January to the nigh-instantaneous endorsement of the Bucks County Democratic Committee.

He went on to receive the backing of major progressive groups including the Congressional Progressive Caucus, though his run has been largely self-funded with $2.5 million of his own money poured into his campaign since January.

Kathleen Burns, of Warrington, said she thought the competition was a toss up, but voted for Wallace in the end.

“Basically, he’s against Trump and anyone who is against Trump, I’m for,” she said.

David Crane, of Plumstead, said he voted for Wallace because he felt Reddick was “wet behind the ears” and unlikely to win in the fall.

“Scott’s been in government for a number of years and he’s older, which I think makes him a little more wiser,” he said. “I have a feeling that he has contacts in Washington that will allow him to get some things done that I would agree with on progressive issues.”

Reddick, in her bid, wielded the endorsements of the Montgomery County Democrats, as well as the women-focused Democratic PAC EMILYs List and big party names from the national stage including New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Connecticut Rep. Seth Moulton.

Espousing close views on most issues, heated rhetoric between Wallace and Reddick devolved to mudslinging, with Wallace painting Reddick as untrustworthy given her Republican past, and Reddick dumping on Wallace as a millionaire carpetbagger.

The exchanges excluded Bacher, an environmental activist-turned candidate who struggled to find a foothold in the race.

The barbs seemed to land in Reddick's favor with voters such as Mark Orpen, of New Britain, who said she had earned his vote.

“Number one: because she’s a woman,” he said. “Number two: She’s not a rich politician from South Africa masquerading as a Bucks County representative.”

John Calderone, of Plumstead, said he was throwing in with Reddick without care for her Republican background.

“I know that a lot of people criticize her because she tagged herself as a Democrat — if she gets elected I think she will appeal to some of those Democratic ideals,” he said.

In a statement from her campaign Tuesday night, however, Reddick threw her support behind Wallace.

"Although we came up short, we intend to keep on fighting on behalf of our values," she said. "We look forward to continuing this fight alongside Scott Wallace."

Though the race on the Republican side showed Fitzpatrick besting Malik by more than 30 points, the incumbent's primary challenger said he was not willing to concede until all the votes were counted.

"When we see 100 percent of the returns, we'll look at it at that point," Malik said.

Malik's non-concession, however, sounded much like he was throwing in the towel, as he thanked his campaign team and commended his supporters for their energetic backing.

Malik challenged Fitzpatrick from the right, hewing close to the brand of President Donald Trump and lambasting Fitzpatrick for his moderate voting record. Fitzpatrick responded to the challenge by doubling down on his centrism, and declaring his “No Labels” caucus as an image of the nation's future.

At a debate early this month at the Bristol Township campus of Bucks County Community College, the candidates disagreed on a range of topics from guns to immigration to the finer points of a congressman’s job description.

A lawyer and Marine veteran of the Iraq war, Malik preached fidelity to party and accused Fitzpatrick of betraying the GOP agenda — and by extension the will of the voters — when he voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The two also collided on guns, with Fitzpatrick saying his FBI experience informed his support for universal background checks, and Malik promising to keep his hands off the Second Amendment.

Fitzpatrick throughout the primary almost never took direct aim at Malik, instead broadly denouncing “fringe” candidates, both Republican and Democrat, who he said pose a danger to the country.

Representatives of "Team Fitzpatrick" took a different tack on Wallace in a press release issued late Tuesday.

"We completely agree with Rachel Reddick, 'Scott Wallace is not one of us.' And we completely agree with the Non-Partisan Cook Political Report’s assessment of this race: Scott Wallace is a 'badly flawed candidate.' And their reasons are clear: Scott Wallace has shown himself to be dishonest, disconnected and dangerous," wrote Fitzpatrick spokeswoman Haley Bova.

"We believe in elections, not auctions going to the highest bidder. Announcing his return to Bucks County after four decades in order to purchase a public office, Scott Wallace has identified Maryland as his first home, and has identified South Africa as his second home. Bucks County has appeared nowhere on his list until he sought to purchase a public office in our community. His mega-wealth and his extreme far-left partisan ideology, coupled with his difficulty telling the truth, make him completely out-of-touch with our community. He is truly 'not one of us.'"

Bova said Team Fitzpatrick was disappointed to see Wallace "attacking the character" of Rachel Reddick, "an honorable woman and mother who served our nation."

"Scott Wallace spends his millions to attack those who have served our nation and protected his family. That is who Scott Wallace is. We’ve found both his approach and his language to be extremely negative and extremely divisive. For the sake of our community, we hope he changes his tone and starts respecting those who have served his family and our nation."

Wallace took an equally direct approach toward Fitzpatrick.

"Brian Fitzpatrick is part of the political class that's made a mess in Washington," he said in a release issued at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday. "It's time for change here in Pennsylvania's First Congressional District."

Wallace said, “We need a government that’s accountable to the people. We need change in Washington. Tonight, we’ve begun to bring that change and usher in a new era where we get big corporate PAC money out of politics. Where Washington finally starts to look out for the people’s interest, not the special interests. And where politicians do a little less tweeting, and blaming – and start listening, and enacting real change​, for real people."

Wallace acknowledged Reddick, Bacher and their supporters for "running a spirited race."

“I know that we can count on them to help us take back this seat. It’s going to be a tough campaign, but I know we can do this," he said. "The fight for what’s right begins tonight. Together, we can make America sane again."

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